S. 2311: State Accountability for Federal Deployment Costs Act of 2025

This bill, titled the "State Accountability for Federal Deployment Costs Act of 2025," proposes a system where states would be required to reimburse the federal government for costs incurred when federal military forces are deployed to respond to civil disturbances or security threats that arise due to the state's lack of cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Here’s a breakdown of the key provisions:

Purpose

The primary aim of the bill is to hold states accountable for expenses related to federal military deployments that result from noncompliance with immigration enforcement actions. It seeks to ensure that when federal forces are needed to manage situations caused by a state's refusal to assist with lawful immigration enforcement, the state bears the financial responsibility for those deployments.

Reimbursement Requirements

Under the bill:

• The Secretary of Defense must send an invoice to the governor of the state where federal military personnel are deployed as a direct result of:
• Civil disturbances related to lawful federal immigration enforcement operations.
• The state’s failure to reasonably cooperate with those operations.

States would be responsible for reimbursing the federal government for specific costs, which include:

• Temporary duty travel and per diem for the deployed military personnel.
• Housing, lodging, and meals for those personnel while deployed.
• Transportation of military personnel and their equipment.

Determination of Noncooperation

The Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Attorney General, is tasked with determining whether a state’s actions or failures materially hindered federal immigration enforcement efforts, which necessitated military deployment.

Payment Conditions

Details regarding payment include:

• States must remit full payment of the invoice within 180 days of receipt.
• If a state does not make the payment in that timeframe, the President, in consultation with relevant federal officials, may choose to rescind one or more discretionary federal grants awarded to the state to offset the amount owed.

Implications

This bill reflects a legal approach to encourage state cooperation with federal immigration enforcement actions by tying financial accountability to a state's compliance. It aims to ensure that states that obstruct or refuse to assist in immigration enforcement do not shift the financial burden of federal military deployments onto the federal government and taxpayers.

Relevant Companies

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